Movable Type Now GPL’d

The blogging software Movable Type is now available under the GPL, where it is dubbed MTOS (Movable Type Open Source).

Movable Type is a widespread and comprehensive blogging platform for which a number of extension modules are available. It includes OpenID, can handle large numbers of users, and has been deployed by global players such as Boeing, American Express, and the Washington Post. The previous version was available free of charge to private users, but a license fee was charged for commercial use.

The authors of Movable Type point out in their announcement that this step is more of an evolution than a revolution. The founders of the software always supported the publication of an open source version of the platform. The license has always allowed users to modify Movable Type’s source code.

MTOS is currently available as a nightly build, but work on a stable version is in full sway. This step by the people behind Movable Type is similar to the strategy adopted by Red Hat or Novell: the commercial products, Movable Type Community Solution (MTCS) and Movable Type Enterprise Solution (MTES), which mainly generate revenue through support, will continue to exist. Parallel to this there will be a free variant with developments flowing into the commercial versions.

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